Status update (no new art this weekend, CW) (Patreon)

Hello, all. First, a note that there won’t be art this weekend. I’ll get into the whys below the warning.

Content warning: self-harm (not me)

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So, most of you know I haven’t been as active as I usually was a few months ago. The hiatus started at the beginning of October, and the burn-out was due to a bunch of reasons (frequent sickness including COVID and RSV), stressful work conditions, and getting my father’s estate closed. Then, in September, my nephew lost his life in a car crash. It really hit my sister and brother-in-law hard, obviously (he was her step-son, but she had too big a heart to ever call him anything but son.)

In mid-November, my sister lost her life. It may have been accidental, and it may not have, but she took too much of her prescription medicine and passed away. She was always the one that remembered birthdays, told us about upcoming cousins’ marriages and graduations, she was a football mom to every member of the local high school team, and she was a tremendous, brassy broad who was as (at times) difficult as she was loving.

She was incredible.

My wife and I are having my niece and nephew over this weekend, and we’re going to do all the fun things we can in Minneapolis (they are from small-town Minnesota). It’s going to take all of my energy to be happy and excited for them, all the while knowing their mom, my baby sister, can’t be here.

I wouldn’t have posted something like this months ago. I don’t know that I’ll open up again about it, and although I know you all mean the best, I can’t field 170 messages from you all with condolences. I just wanted to let you all know that there are hard times that hit us all. Don’t make a permanent decision for something that may be temporary. It’s not hopeless, and don’t give up. Find your people. Reach out. Make sure they’re someone who cares. Talk to a co-worker. A friend. A brother. Don’t be alone with your pain. And understand your friends are there to help; if they suggest you talk to someone, that’s them helping the best way they can.

Thanks for listening. I’ll be back with the weird art in a week or so.

—Gnome